`Wine' Tasty

For Maker Of

`Chocolate'

What Hollywood movie project will next tantalize the taste buds of Like Water for Chocolate director Alfonso Arau?

The picture would have to have some of the same ingredients that made Chocolate so irresistible, the Mexico native said, like family, romance and that oh-so-hard-to-define quality, magical realism.

How about a romantic tale set in the vineyards of California's Napa Valley?

The story is A Walk in the Clouds for MGM, a remake of Alessandro Blasetti's 1942 Italian movie Four Steps in the Clouds, the rights to which were acquired five years ago by producer Jerry Zucker.

At first Arau, besieged with offers, was reticent. This was a story about an Italian-American vintner family forced to cope with their daughter's unexpected pregnancy and a suitor who is not the father.

Arau said he told Zucker that he was interested only if it was a Mexican-American-owned winery with the girl in peril dealing with Mexican religious and cultural values he could relate to. Also, Arau said he argued, "the totality of the workers in Napa and Sonoma are Mexicans," though nearly all the wineries were founded and continue to be owned by descendants of Italians and Germans.

"The themes are larger than life ... everything I want to film," he said.

No casting has been set, although Arau intends to try and find Latino actors and actresses for the key roles (except Paul) and currently is conducting a search on three continents (including Europe) for the woman who will play Victoria.